Food waste disposers, particularly for home use, are commonly installed in a sink opening by one person. An important consideration is the speed and ease with which a disposer may be installed.
It has become common practice to suspend or otherwise support the disposer on the sink drain sleeve, or drain flange. Since the disposer is supported on the drain flange, it has been a common necessity first to install the flange in the sink and then lock it onto the sink using jack screws or the like before the disposer itself is installed and attached to the drain flange. Thus, the necessity for installing and locking the drain flange prior to the connection of the disposer makes the subsequent installation of the disposer awkward and often difficult. In many instances, the angular position of the disposer depends upon the orientation of the drain flange, and it may be difficult or at least time consuming to achieve the proper sighting and alignment of the disposer in order to make the plumbing and electrical connections. Thus, prior arrangements have commonly failed to provide full flexibility in the position of the disposer with respect to the sink drain flange prior to the final fastening and tightening on the flange. At times, these installations are one of trial and error, since the installer must first surmise as to whether a selected drain flange position will assure that the disposer, after its installation, will be properly lined up so that the drain and electrical connections can be made.
Another problem inherent in the installation of waste food disposers concerns the necessity of making a full seal of the drain flange with the sink and making a full seal of the disposer to the drain flange. Commonly, these seals are effected in separate tightening, fastening, or clamping operations.
A particular problem in the installation of food waste disposers resides in the fact that they are usually installed by one person, and the installations are normally made under a sink where the work space is already limited and cramped. Thus, one particular difficulty resides in the lack of freedom to rotate or turn the disposer into any position while it is supported on the sink flange. In other instances, it may be difficult or not possible to turn the sink flange separately from turning the disposer, so that trademark information or operating instructions which may be carried on the exposed flared upper surface of the sink flange may be properly aligned.
One prior arrangement which simplified disposer installations is disclosed in the U.S. patent of Thierer U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,525 of 1960, now assigned to the same assignee as this application. In Thierer, a mounting ring was secured to the heck portion of the drain flange and held in place by a retainer or snap ring after the flange had been inserted in the sink opening. This mounting ring was formed with a series of key-hole-shaped slots and the disposer was provided with headed hanger screws which fit into the slots so that when the disposer was rotated with respect to the mounting ring, these hanger screws would slide into the slots and thus support the weight of the disposer for further installation and adjustment. These hanger screws were individually tightened once the disposer was connected. The mounting ring was also provided with jack screws which were turned so as to urge a pressure washer upwardly against the sink seal and lock the flange on the sink. As a practical matter, it was necessary to have the drain flange at least fairly well secured in place by use of these jack screws prior to placing the disposer into position and turning it in the key-hole-shaped slots, otherwise the flange would turn instead. Further, although the entire unit could be rotated, as a practical matter, the installer had to be careful that he did not inadvertently bring the disposer around to where the headed hanger screws lined up with the access holes, otherwise the disposer would come free of the retainer ring. Furthermore, the final tightening of the hanger screws could alter the location of the disposer by an amount sufficient to disturb the plumbing connections where they were short or rigid in nature.